Winter weather advisory in effect

Published: Thursday, February 21, 2013 at 05:11 PM.

“We may see some heavy rain (Friday) night and Saturday is looking really wet,” Collins said.

While the rain will be here, Collins said the forecast calls for much warmer temperatures this weekend.

The forecast calls for temperatures Friday close to 50 degrees in the Jacksonville area and lows tonight staying in the mid to high 40s. The daytime temperature is expected to reach the mid-60s Saturday.

Sunday will be dry with the temperature around 60.

The forecast for early next week shows mild temperatures but the rain will return.

While rain mixed with freezing temperatures last weekend to drop snow over the Onslow County area last weekend, this weekend will just be a soggy one along the coast, said meteorologist Chris Collins of the National Weather Service forecast office in Newport.

The hazardous weather outlook issued Thursday by the National Weather Service for parts of Eastern North Carolina indicated that patchy light freezing rain was possible overnight and into the early hours Friday morning, potentially causing slick spots on roads, mainly on overpasses and bridges.

But the coast may not see that early band of precipitation and any wintry mix of sleet or snow will stay well west of the area.

A winter weather advisory is in effect from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. for Duplin, Lenoir and counties west and north of Greenville.

“We may get a drizzle in the morning but the heavy rain won’t get here until (Friday) afternoon or night,” Collins said.

Once the rain moves into the area Friday it will stick around into Saturday.

“We may see some heavy rain (Friday) night and Saturday is looking really wet,” Collins said.

While the rain will be here, Collins said the forecast calls for much warmer temperatures this weekend.

The forecast calls for temperatures Friday close to 50 degrees in the Jacksonville area and lows tonight staying in the mid to high 40s. The daytime temperature is expected to reach the mid-60s Saturday.

Sunday will be dry with the temperature around 60.

The forecast for early next week shows mild temperatures but the rain will return.